Work Text
He’d had to beg off work early. Thankfully, he worked for a guy who understood this kind of thing, so he’d been sent home with very firm orders not to come back until things had been dealt with. ‘Things’ being his sudden unexpected heat.
He had his coat draped over an arm instead of actually on him. He was sweating up a storm and his face was flushed. In a dark room, a person could probably even see the shine of his soul through his t-shirt. Every part of him felt overly warm and his magic felt unstable.
Stars he hated heats.
The worst part of it, though, was how absolutely god awful horny he was. It was a damn good thing Chilbz caught his scent picking up, because if he’d stayed much later, he wasn’t so sure he wouldn’t go home with one of the patrons. And that was definitely not something he wanted to do.
His shortcuts weren’t exactly safe while he was in heat. So he’d had a very uncomfortable bus ride home. He’d fumbled his keys twice before he managed to get them into the lock, his hands wet with sweat and trembling with the need to just get to his room and at least take the edge off.
Thankfully, his room mate, Dance, was supposed to have the late shift today. So he should be able to avoid that embarrassment at the very least. He hated looking weak in front of the guy. Those eyes of his were always picking Red apart and making him think about every possible thing that was wrong with him. He didn’t want to know what the guy would have to say about this.
----
To be fair, Dance knew his heat would come eventually. It was late for it, after all. Still, it sucked having to beg to be let off for his sudden heat. He almost didn’t get it, until he was glad that his manager refused to go somewhere private to talk about it when a customer made a remark about ‘Isn’t it illegal to force workers to stay during their heat when they want the time off? Heat leave exists for a reason.’ in a very sassy tone.
Thank you, random customer. For once helping instead of being a pain like most are to retail workers.
Dance had to take the long way home, as he couldn’t trust his shortcuts. When he closed the door behind him, he was met by a wonderful beta scent. He followed the scent to the kitchen, met with the sight of Red’s suddenly alluring bum in the air as he was digging in the fridge for something. Somehow, it was a bit of a shock to realize Red was a beta. He’d honestly thought from the way he acted that he was an alpha, and he’d never bothered to figure out for sure.
“Hey, Red.” Dance’s tone somehow ended up sounding a lot more aroused than he’d intended. Maybe because he was in heat, and Red smelled wonderful. He looked his roommate up and down with a much less critical eye than usual, and a heck of a lot more lust.
----
He'd planned on going straight to his room, but his dumb ass decided it would be a good idea to maybe get a bottle of water to take with him first. You know, prepare for a nice long stay so he wouldn't have to worry about coming out later and maybe running into Dance after he got off work. He regretted that decision the moment he heard a deep voice call his name with a certain inflection he'd never heard in it before. He'd heard it in plenty of others', but never Dance's.
He jumped, because of fucking course he did, knocking his bottle of water into another shelf and making it rattle. He stood up straight and spun around, his face burning.
"Dance! Fuck! Wear a bell, asshole!"
He was ready for their usual back and forth. An exchange of barely civil words and those god damn looks that Dance always sent his way. He was not expecting to be damn near undressed with that gaze instead.
He shivered. and he was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the chilled air coming from the open fridge at his back.
"Yer uh... Home early.." he acknowledged needlessly, feeling a little lost under that stare and a lot fucking turned on.
----
“Heh, heat finally hit. From the smell of it...” Dance walked over to Red, and made a point of sniffing the air. “Someone else got hit by it too.”
As far as heat buddies went, Red probably wouldn’t be Dance’s first choice... if he wasn’t Dance’s
only
choice. If he had other options, Red wouldn’t be at the bottom of the list, at least. And now that Dance was looking at him that way, he found that Red
was
attractive. Enough that it probably wasn’t just the heat talking, too.
Not that Dance would admit to it easily. He at least wanted a good fuck if he was going to admit to Red being attractive at all.
----
Once Dance said something about it, Red was easily able to smell the scent wafting off of Dance. It was… An alpha’s scent. Oh shit...
For maybe half a second he considered lying, saying he damn well wasn't in heat then escape to his room, but it didn't take a genius to know that was a fuckin dumb idea. What Dance was suggesting though, with his eyes and his voice and his fucking body language... Well that didn't seem like much less of a dumb idea, considering he was just a beta, but hell if it didn't sound like a good one to the part of him currently calling the shots. What would it be like to fuck an alpha?
His eyes traveled without his permission down Dance's body, wondering for probably the first time what those loose clothes hid. He thought it might be nice to find out. Hell, he thought it might be fuckin awesome to find out. He bit down hard to keep from making an embarrassing noise at just the thought. And when his gaze moved back up and locked with Dance's? Any remaining resistance just sort of keeled over and died.
He stepped away from the fridge and let the door fall shut, the surrounding air immediately feeling about three times warmer.
"Ya don't sound like yer too upset about that." He grinned, stepping right on up into Dance's space. And damn, he smelled even better up close! The scent was going straight to his thrumming soul and fanning out to the rest of him, turning that awful feeling of warmth into something a little more pleasant.
He didn't usually take a partner during his heats, preferring to just stick it out with his hand and some dirty websites as his back up while his body tried to wage war on itself. If the world wanted to go ahead and drop a willing partner in his lap, though, who was he to say no? He just hoped the guy was ready for a fucking fight, because alpha or not, Red was not a fucking bottom.
----
Dance put his arms around Red, resting them on his shoulders. He spoke in a low tone. “I sure don’t.”
Up close, Red smelled even better than before. “Someone like you...” His tongue flicked out to lick his teeth hungrily. “Smells really good ta someone like me.”
Not wanting to wait, Dance moved forward to hungrily kiss Red. He wasted no time in lapping at Red’s teeth, demanding entrance.
----
He wasn't sure how to take that 'someone like you' comment, he wasn’t exactly an ideal match here, but in the next moment he decided he didn't care, because Dance was kissing him and he was absolutely on board with that plan.
He wrapped an arm around Dance's waist, pulling him closer, his other hand held awkwardly out to the side, still holding onto that damn water bottle, and opened his mouth to let his tongue play against Dance's. He hadn't been expecting the ferocity that Dance threw at him. Still, Red fought back. He'd never bent over for anybody in his life, and he wasn't about to now.
----
One of Dance’s hands moved to grip at the back of Red’s skull as he kissed his roommate harshly.
Dance
was the one in control here. The
alpha
. His other hand went lower and lower still, until he was pulling Red closer by the base of his spine. He gave a small grind against Red, making a small, satisfied grunt at the feel of it.
He really wanted to see Red under him, normal glower replaced by utter bliss. He decided that was his goal with this.
----
A startled noise sounded at the back of his throat as Dance doubled his efforts, allowing his hands to move over Red's body and pull him into the position Dance wanted him in. His traitorous soul pounded at the treatment and his knees shook a little. He was losing ground fast.
He pulled back with a gasp and did his damnedest not to outright pant. "Yer bed or mine?" His voice was rough, lower than usual. His hips bucked against Dance's seeking the spark of pleasure that had shot up his spine when Dance had done it first.
----
“Mine.” Dance’s response was short, and he stole another kiss before pulling Red in the direction of his room. He wanted Red, and he wanted him
now
. When he was about to pass the couch, he just saw it as opportunity. He pushed Red down onto the couch, and straddled his lap to steal yet another rough kiss.
“Bed’s too far. Here will do.” Dance accented his words by grinding down onto Red
hard
.
----
That was an amazing idea and it got Red’s full approval. Especially since it got him a lap full of Dance and that was a very good step in the right direction as far as Red was concerned. The water bottle was dropped to the seat beside them so he could put both hands on Dance’s hips, his own hips twitching under that hard grind as heat started to solidify in his pelvis.
“Impatient?” He chuckled against dance’s mouth, before ducking lower to start nipping at a vulnerable neck somewhat playfully.
----
A wry chuckle escaped Dance, and he ground back down onto Red. “Oh yes.” Another grind. “See, I want to know what faces you’ll make blissed out under me.”
Dance wasn’t about to let Red take control. Before Red could even respond to Dance’s words, he ducked his head down to suck and nibble on the rough collarbone.
----
Red scoffed, even as in the next moment he was biting down on a moan. "Only way yer gettin me under ya is if yer on top and ridin my fuckin dick."
He trailed his hands down to Dance's ass and bucked his hips up as if to drive that point home. He wasn't the one in a prime position to get fucked here. And Dance had been the one to choose the position. He felt that said somethin.
----
Dance looked at the love bite he’d left on Red’s bones with satisfaction. To keep Red from thinking he could have control here, he slipped a hand under Red’s shirt and started pumping his hand up and down his lumbar spine.
Hah! No way Dance was going to let a mere
beta
top him. “I doubt you’ll be the one with a dick here~” Dance cheated a little, reaching with his other hand to give Red’s tail a nice squeeze at the base.
----
The hand on his spine sent a jolt straight through his magic, wrenching a short moan out of him, despite his effort to hold it back. He pressed his face against Dance's shoulder, letting out a little "Fuck..."
At those cocky words, he opened his mouth to retort, but what came out was a breathy keening noise as Dance encircled the base of his tail with his fingers and fucking squeezed. His magic gave a heated lurch, forming in the cradle of his pelvis, it's form dictated by the sheer dominance in Dance's magic and the way he touched him, that alpha heat scent dictating more than Red thought it would.
It wasn't a bulge. His pants didn't get any tighter. What he did feel was a growing wetness between his legs. "Wh-what the.. F-fuck…?"
He'd never formed a pussy before in his life! Why now?! Just because Dance was a fucking alpha?! His face burned.
----
“Eheheh, see?” Dance chuckled, his own magic taking form. He gave one last firm grind before pulling back and standing so he could get his pants off. Once that was done, he tugged at Red’s own pants, revealing beautiful crimson magic. “Now ain’t that a lovely sight.”
Even with his heat burning in his bones and making his length ache, Dance wasn’t about to go right in without preparing Red. Instead, he kneeled on the floor in front of the couch and held Red’s legs firmly apart. He dove his tongue right into Red’s wet heat. He pulled back just long enough to comment a simple “tastes good, too.” before going to town.
----
"Shut up!" Red barked, face burning brightly as Dance's eyes roved over his newly formed magic. This was already embarrassing enough without him rubbing it in! "This ain't what it was s'pose ta be! I'll change it! Just lemme-... Wh-what're ya-.."
He cut himself off as Dance knelt between his legs, another surge of heat stealing away any resistance he might have put up as Dance spread his legs wide. Then Dance leaned in, a blue tongue peeking from his mouth and-
"Fuck!" Red threw his head back, claws digging into the cushions of the couch on either side of him. Shit, he was sensitive! He hardly heard what it was Dance said when he pulled back before the guy started going all out on him.
Red's legs moved further apart of their own accord, his hips tilting to give Dance a better angle and bucking against that way too talented tongue. Or maybe Red was just so responsive that it didn't matter if Dance actually had talent or not? Either way, his magic was convulsing, gushing fluids and shooting wave after wave of sensation through his body.
"S-slow down! Ya f-fuckin- Aah!" His heat had already had him on the edge. And that combined with the apparent sensitivity of this new magic? The foreplay hadn't even really been needed. That's the logic he used to console himself anyway as Dance's tongue ruthlessly pulled Red's first orgasm of the night out of him.
----
Dance pulled back, licking at his red stained teeth. He didn’t bother with words, just standing up, and pushing Red to lay on his back. He positioned himself, hardly giving Red any time to react before pushing in. He groaned at the feeling. “
Fuck
, that feels good.”
With how tight Red was around him, Dance didn’t dare move right away, despite how badly his body all but begged him to. He would not be a typical asswipe alpha seeking only his own pleasure. This would be good for both of them. To distract himself for the moment Red needed to adjust, Dance ended up biting at Red’s clavicle.
----
Red went down on his back downright passively, still recovering from the mind blowing euphoria that had stolen his mind away for just a moment. By the time he had his senses back enough to say anything, Dance was already between his legs and pushing in.
"Wai- Nnh!" Fuck! Fucking holy shit! He'd never had a dick in him before, so he didn't exactly have anything to compare it to, but he thought Dance's cock was fucking
big
. It filled him all the way up and pushed at the back of his magic, stretching him open with an unfamiliar burn. His nerve endings were singing, though, now not only over sensitive in general, but also from having cum just moments before. His insides were fluttering around Dance's rigid length, almost as if unsure what to do with it.
Both of his hands relocated from the couch cushions to Dance's back, his claws digging in slightly in an effort to ground himself. And maybe also as a small bit of a threat. "D-don't ya dare fuckin move!"
He'd lose his mind! Dance was playing with nerve endings Red had never had before and it was setting off fireworks in his skull just from having the alpha inside him. He was almost afraid of what would happen when Dance started actually
fucking
him.
----
Dance made a noise where between a growl and a whine, but he didn’t move. He was
not
an asshole alpha, he would
not
let his heat control him. He’d wait until Red was ready, damn it! Even if he was shaking with the effort.
It felt like time was dragging on in a long, drawn out battle between body and mind. He wouldn’t let himself hurt Red, so he struggled to keep his hips steady. Even as he started panting from both the effort... and the heat burning in his bones.
----
Dance was, surprisingly, patient. It certainly made him question most of the stories he heard at the bar about pushy fuckin alphas who didn't know the meaning of the word 'no'. As judgmental as Dance was, though, he supposed the guy held himself to higher standards. For once, Red found himself grateful for it.
After a while, the ache of over stimulation started to fade. The heat was seeping back in, ready and eager to be sated. He gave an experimental roll of his hips, clenching lightly around Dance's cock, and outright moaned.
"A'right. Fuck me." That had better be enough, because Red sure as fuck wasn't about to start begging.
----
‘Thank fuck.’
Dance kept his comment to his thoughts, not wanting to scorn Red at all. Not about something like that. Still, it felt so gratifying to
finally
be able to move. He started a little slow at first, to ease Red into it before picking up the pace to sate his lust better.
It felt so good. Little as Dance usually liked Red, he felt so amazing around his cock. So wonderfully amazing. He crashed his teeth down on Red’s in a demanding kiss.
----
Red tried to keep from moaning into Dance skull for the first several thrusts, but once Dance started to pick up the pace, he just couldn't help it anymore. Holy shit! Why had he been so against having a cunt again? Because this felt fucking amazing! or maybe it was just because it was Dance. Red had always sort of objectively admired the way the guy moved, all fluid grace and deliberate motion. It was curling his toes now, causing his eye lights to roll back in his skull and his jaw to hang open, letting out needy little noises that he'd take the time to be ashamed over later.
Dance's mouth crashed over his and he couldn't muster up the will to do more than half assedly fight back. He folded under that alpha strength and dominance, properly cowed. It was hard to put up much of a front when the other guy was balls deep in him and he was loving the hell out of it.
"Fuck! Faster! C'mon!" He gasped out when he was allowed the breath to do so. He was getting close again, the heat building up in his middle, tightening and getting ready to release itself all over their crappy second hand couch.
----
Well. Let it be said Red asked for it when he couldn’t walk in the morning. The noises Red was making were delicious, and the noises he made when Dance sped up the pace were even better.
Dance took a hold of one of Red’s legs, slinging it over his shoulder. It let him dig deeper into that tight heat, drawing a satisfied noise from him. “You feel so good clenched around my cock like that. Such a good beta.”
----
Red whined, the heat building higher. The way Dance was holding him had him spread open so much more, let the guy pound so much deeper. By this point he was a mess, magic leaking from his sockets and from between his teeth.
"Sh-shu-uuuht it! Nnh! D-don't need yer f-ffffuckin commentary!" He forced out the words past his panting breaths, not quite willing to roll over and play dead yet. But damn if those words hadn't shot straight to his cunt, the praise warming him more than it should have. His face only burned brighter, insides spasming around Dance's brutal length, likely giving him away. It only took a few more thrusts before he was swearing, his spine bending as another orgasm crashed over him.
----
Dance was about to call Red on his bluff when the other came. “Fff- that’s what I’m talking about. So good hnn, so good clenching around me.”
Dance only slowed his pace a little as he felt Red’s peak started to wane. He had yet to reach his own orgasm, frustratingly. He didn’t want to hurt Red in any way, though, so he slowed some to keep from painfully over stimulating.
“So beautiful with that blissed out expression.” And Red was. Stars, it made Dance want to get that expression out of him every day. It was just so amazing to see the normally prickly face with none of that normal spite.
Beautiful.
----
What the hell? Dance already had him on his back, what was the point in all this stupid fucking flattery? It was doing weird things to his soul that he wasn't sure he liked. Both arms flew up to his face to hide the resulting blush.
"St-stop sayin that shit! told ya ta f-fuckin shut it!" His free ankle moved to hook around Dance's hip, sharp little toes scraping against Dance's sacrum in an effort to get him to just go back to fucking and cut out that bullshit talking.
"A-ain't you fuckin cum yet? You an alpha or aren't ya?! C'mon!" he growled, peaking between his fingers with a snarl on his face.
----
If that wasn’t attractive, Dance didn’t know what was. Red being flustered, wrecked, but still holding to that unique Red flair that Dance hadn’t even realized he liked until now.
Red was ready for him to move again, though, so he could think more about that later. He went back to driving into Red viciously. He timed words with each thrust. “Yer such a good beta. You aren’t. Fucking. Boring like all the rest.”
----
Fuck! Maybe he shouldn't have goaded Dance on so soon after cumming. He wasn't quite ready for the punishing pace Dance picked up. It had him seeing stars, a scream of pleasure catching in his throat and killing itself there. It locked his breath in his chest, so when Dance started talking again, Red couldn't get out a retort.
He couldn't understand why Dance was saying these things. He didn't need to. he already had what he wanted. He didn't need to turn on the charm like this when all of Dance's judgement up until now had been negative. (Or at least that's how it had looked, those eyes boring into him, making him feel small. Or, well, smaller...)
But now, with his words alone, he was making Red's soul pulse. It shone brightly now, behind his rib cage, hidden under his shirt. Red cursed the traitorous thing for its honesty, showing just how much he liked the things Dance was saying. (Even if he couldn't possibly mean those things. Red knew better than that. He was average at best. Downright ugly at worst. Scary, according to some people.)
----
Dance kept his pace going, finally approaching his peak. Seeing Red’s soul, shining brightly, finally tipped him over the edge. He leaned down, releasing the leg that was still slung over his shoulder so he could bite into Red’s clavicle. A small amount of magic that just felt natural was put into the bite.
He gave the base of Red’s tail a tug, hoping to help him reach orgasm one last time before he crashed.
----
It was like he was riding some kind of high, pelted emotionally and physically in the most satisfying ways. He'd never felt so overwhelmingly good in his life. And when Dance leaned in and sank his teeth into Red's clavicle, he cried out, the pain muted by everything else surrounding it, and let that magic in.
Warmth flooded his insides and he keened, riding the edge of his own peak. His hips bucked, trying to get that last bit for friction that he needed. he started to reach down, planning on going for his clit, but Dance beat him to the punch, grabbing him by the tail and giving a little tug that made him see white.
"Fuck! Holy- Aah!" His hand caught on one of Dance's lower ribs instead, gripping it hard as his body was shot through with a third god damn orgasm in a single night.
The heat in his bones dimmed as he came down, his breathing ragged. Shit. He hoped Dance was done. because Red wasn't sure if he could manage another round.
----
With an exhausted huff, Dance slumped down. He moved so he was laying in the little bit of extra space left on the couch, and not on top of Red. His heat was quiet (for now) and he was suddenly quite exhausted.
Everything felt so good.
Dance snuggled up to his Red, wrapping his arms around him as he started to drift off to sleep.
----
Dance rolled off of him. Oh thank fuck. Red relaxed, letting his quick breaths slowly even out. Worn out and unwilling to move, he turned into the arms that encircled him. He felt warm, but not in that desperate, overheated way. Warm in a deeper sense.
Dance thought he was beautiful..
His eyes shut, and he let sleep take him.
----
Dance woke up slowly, happily holding the warmth in his arms. When he opened his eyes, though, he froze. He was holding Red in his arms, and neither of them were wearing pants. The memories from the previous night came rushing back to Dance as he stared at the mark on Red’s collarbone.
Fuck.
Not only had they played heatbuddies despite disliking each other greatly, but... Dance had marked Red. With a mating mark. Now everyone who saw Red would know that he was Dance’s...
He carefully stood from the couch, pacing the length of the living room as he tried to decide what he was supposed to do about this. He just didn’t know! What had possessed him to do that?!? Even with them both on their heats, he shouldn’t-
Stars. He was awful. He’d just marked his roommate in such a permanent way while high on sex. Sex that otherwise probably have just been a one time thing was now- oh stars. He’d prided himself on not being an asshole alpha, then turned around and did the most asshole alpha thing possible.
He sat down against the wall, and buried his head in his hands. With a heavy dose of self loathing involved, too.
He was the absolute worst.
----
Red woke slowly. A new habit he'd been picking up since they came topside and found relative peace. It had the benefit of letting him feel out his surroundings. Specifically, the fact that he wasn't in his bed and was kind of cold.
When he opened his eyes he recalled why and that was enough for him to get disgruntled about the fact that Dance was currently across the room, holding his head in his hands like the world was ending.
"Oh fuckin come on. I wasn't that bad, ya dick..." And, speaking of dicks, his pelvis was fucking sore from Dance's. Not unbearably sore, but enough that he was damn uncomfortable. At least there wasn't a mess clinging to him. Magic was nice like that. Meaning he didn't immediately have to get up and get a shower. So he stretched out a bit and lazily let his eyes fall closed again. He didn't want to deal with Dance's bullshit this early in the damn morning.
----
So Red hadn’t noticed yet. Great. Dance has one chance not to fuck this up more. “
You
were amazing.
I’m
the dickbag who can’t fucking-” He cut off with a frustrated growl.
“‘I don’t need a mouth guard.’ I said. ‘I’ve better control than that.’” Dance banged a hand on the floor painfully. “I’m a
fucking idiot
.”
----
Color dusted his face when Dance called him amazing, but that didn't do much to soften the frown growing on his face as he looked over at the self deprecating alpha.
Then it hit him. An alpha. He'd bedded a fucking alpha. And alphas had this little trick they sometimes did with their teeth...
Sockets widening, he reached up to paw at his clavicle where he recalled Dance had bitten him last night. It was hard to tell anything by touch, but Red had a sinking suspicion.
Shooting up from the couch, he practically ran to the bathroom, sore pelvis be damned. When he got a look at himself in the mirror, he tugged the collar of his shirt down and stared in enraged disbelief.
"Ya fuckin
MARKED ME
?!" They'd probably be able to hear him screeching from next door.
----
“I did.” Dance spoke from the doorway into the bathroom. Red’s screech hurt his head, but he deserved it so he wouldn’t, couldn’t complain. “I am very sorry.”
Dance was scum. Sure, Red hadn’t pushed back, hadn’t rejected the magic when he first felt it, but... He shouldn’t have had to in the first place. It should have been Dance’s job to keep a hold on his instincts.
“Being in heat is no excuse. I am sorry.” Dance couldn’t look up. Couldn’t meet Red’s gaze. He’d stolen something very important from Red. He was such scum.
----
"Sorry? Yer fuckin sorry?! Sorry ain't gonna get yer mark off my bones ya fuckin asshole!" He took a step towards Dance, fists trembling with the need for violence, but held himself in check and went back to the mirror, running his fingers over his new mark.
Dammit. The hell was he gonna tell his brother? He'd finally, somehow managed to convince the guy he didn't need a collar anymore. That they were in a new, better place. That they were safe and at peace. That they didn't need to be holding onto old customs anymore.
And then this happens...
Red was a beta! He shouldn't have had to worry about this kind of shit! Alphas didn't mark betas! Or at least he hadn't thought they did...
"Fuck!" He swore again, just for good measure.
----
For a long moment, Dance thought Red was going to hit him. He was almost disappointed when he didn’t.
There were few things worse than rape, and this had to be one of them. He’d sullied Red in a way he’d have damn near murdered anyone else for doing! Sorry really wasn’t enough.
What could he even do about this? Red hated him! He’d tied someone who hated him to him for probably good! Sure, it was only a mark, but most people wouldn’t touch someone who was marked, for fear of the wrath of the person who put the mark there in the first place.
He just... stood there, clutching at his chest painfully. He’d messed up. He’d really messed up. He wouldn’t blame Red if he never forgave him for the monumental fuckup.
----
Dance's silent remorse wasn't doing anything to calm him down. In fact, it was mostly just making things worse. Wasn't the bastard going to try to explain himself?! Maybe offer up some kind of solution?!
No, that was unrealistic. Red knew there was no fucking solution. Mating marks were permanent. The only thing that would get it off him would be if one of them died.
And, all evidence to the contrary, Red didn't hate Dance. Would never want him dead. But he knew that Dance hated him. And that just made everything more painful and infuriating. Because now, like it or not, Red was stuck with a mate who hated him...
Scowling, he turned and shoved past Dance in the doorway, making his way back to the couch where he snatched up his shorts and threw them back on. Then he got up and grabbed his coat, pulling it on as he stalked over to the door. He shoved his feet in his shoes and went for the front door.
----
Well. Right. Red hated him. Dance had managed to get himself stuck with someone who seemed to despise him in any and every way.
When he said asshole in his head again, this time he wasn’t sure which one of them he was thinking of. Maybe both.
Like it or not, they were stuck together now. The least Red could do was stick around long enough to talk it out. How was Dance supposed to live up to his mistakes if he couldn’t even work things out with Red?
“Tch.” Dance stormed over to the kitchen, cooking with more aggression than ever before. When he had a random meal ready, he ate...
Alone.
He put the second serving in the fridge to be warmed up later, and a note on Red’s door telling him there was food in the fridge before storming out himself. He’d have the day off thanks to his heat, so he decided to go up to one of his favorite spots, one that looked out over much of Ebbot. He could try to think of what needed to be done to coexist with his new mate there.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Red needed a drink. Possibly several. Chillby wasn't expecting him back for a few days still, and Red kind of liked the idea of all that time off, so he shortcutted himself to Grillby's instead. It was a lot more laid back than what Red was used to, but the orange bartender didn't ask questions.
He also had a tendency to cut Red off when he felt he'd had too much, but Red would deal with that later. There were plenty of other bars he could drown himself in afterwards if he wanted to.
----
Dance reached his ‘happy place’ and sat down with a small pad of paper and his phone. He first looked up accidental marks, and advice on how to deal with them. Then, he started his list of things.
Watch out for commands. Red will be more likely to comply than before. Make sure you aren’t forcing him to do things because of the mark.
Don’t pay attention to where he is. Don’t be a creep.
Don’t antagonize him as much. He may hate me, but we’re mates now.
Give him space. Don’t focus on the fact he’s at Grillby’s.
Get a better job. Alphas are supposed to provide.
Eventually, Dance just gave up. He’d written and scratched out so many things that the paper was just a blob of blank ink. He decided to stick with the one course of action he did get figured out. Getting a better job.
Stars he hated job searching. Still, a few hours later and a lot of printed out resumes passed out, he found himself hopeful. Retail made for a shitty job, so he had applied to a few trade skill places. The locksmithing job seemed like it might pan out, even. With his ability to shortcut, he could get from place to place pretty fast. The mail delivery job also had him hopeful for that very reason.
When he finally got himself back home, he was exhausted. He tossed his hoodie to the side, and laid down on the couch for a nap.
----
When this Grillby cut him off, he tottered off to another Grillby's. Then when that one cut him off, he went to yet another. It was a little funny how many Grillby's there were, all run by some form of fire elemental named Grillby.
He was just stumbling out of a star themed establishment, covered in some kind of fine, shimmery powder, when he decided that, maybe, he'd had enough to drink. He decided this mostly because he was making good friends with the pavement and he didn't remember how or when that happened.
He'd started some time around noon he figured. And had been at it for a good handful of hours. The sun was just starting to set now. It was shameful how early he had to tap out, he thought. It should at least be midnight before he had to call it quits. But then, he had started in a lot earlier than usual...
He pointedly didn't think about why that was. He went bar hopping to forget about it. But of course, when you decide not to think about a thing, that thing ends up being the only thing on your mind.
"Fffuckin Dance..." He muttered against the ground. "F-fffuckin alpha bullshit. Don't even f'ckin like me..."
He didn't mind confiding in the ground. Who was it gonna tell?
"N'he's a f'ckin liar. I ain't b-.. bootif-.. F'ckin pretty. Dumbass. Not.. Not a shitty 'mega bitch. Why'd 'e go an'..." He was whining and he knew it, but it didn't matter. He was venting to his good buddy, the ground, who was good at keeping secrets. He'd been on his way down a small alley to shortcut home, so there weren't any other people to listen in either. It was just him and the dirty pavement. It smelled a little off.
"Nnn.. 'e smells nice tho. Not like shitty back alleys..." He giggled a bit. "No offence."
----
When he woke up, Dance could feel Red near a random Grillby’s. The star one, if he remembered right. He pushed that to the back of his mind, though, wanting to respect Red’s space.
(Heh, nice accidental pun. Good job, self.)
He decided to cook again. All the job hunting
had
left him pretty hungry. Cooking was so much cheaper than take out, and Dance didn’t want them to be living from paycheck to paycheck quite as much. When they were just roommates, it was fine. Now that they were more? Well, Dance had to start caring about someone other than Latin at some point.
When the food was done and Red still hadn’t moved, Dance started to get irritated. He was trying to be responsible for once, but could Red appreciate that?
Of fucking course not.
When Red
still
hadn’t moved by the time Dance was done eating and the leftovers were in the fridge, he started to get really pissed off. He pushed his anger down, though. He said he’d respect Red’s space.
That went out the window when it started to get late, and Red was still in the same spot. He’d been there for hours. “That’s it-”
He took a shortcut, and simply sighed when he saw Red passed out. Of course.
It was a good thing Dance wasn’t as wimpy as he looked. He was able to get Red well enough in his arms to take a shortcut, and dump his mate onto his mattress. He pulled off the grouchy monster’s shoes and threw a blanket over him before leaving the room.
He resolved to try to talk things out more tomorrow as he made his way over to his own room and crashed onto his bed.
----
Red woke up late the next day with a throbbing headache. Ugh.. Maybe he shouldn't drink anymore... He scoffed, the idea hardly lasting a second. Yeah, no, he was very likely going to drink again.
He drug himself out of bed, hand automatically going to his bedside table where he kept a bottle of painkillers. It was only after he'd popped a few that it struck him as odd that he was in his room at all. Hadn't he... Not been here when he passed out?
Maybe he'd managed that last shortcut after all.
He shrugged, deciding not to worry too much about it. He was home. That was a good thing.
He probably shouldn't have gotten as smashed as he had. It was dangerous to be that out of it, even on the surface. It was a lot safer up here, a lot more peaceful, but there were still risks if you were being fucking stupid... Like he had been... Why'd he gotten that fucked up again?
He was in the bathroom, blearily undressing for a shower, when he caught himself in the mirror and was reminded.
He was marked. His soul twisted in his chest. Fucking Dance...
He let out a breath and leaned closer to the mirror, reaching to run his fingers over the mark. It was kind of pretty, he guessed. Shimmering faintly with dark blue magic and laced through with thin veins of red. It was an elegant, intricate design too, reflecting the alpha who'd given it. He probably wouldn't have even minded it too much if it didn't promise to fuck his whole damn life.
He didn't even pause to consider that Dance might take this seriously. A person with a mark was claimed. No one would ever want anything to do with him now. But Alphas... There was no evidence on them. They could take a different partner later if they wanted to.
Dance hated him. Red didn't assume for a moment the guy would stay with him. He'd probably move out, actually, to avoid things being too awkward. Red would have to start looking into a new place to live. He couldn't afford the rent here on his own.
He turned the shower on with a little more force than was strictly needed, telling himself he was still angry about the whole thing. It was better than being hurt or depressed. Or, better than admitting to it rather...
----
Dance woke up himself not much later. He could hear Red in the shower, and decided to try cooking again. Offer food as a peace offering.
He settled on a basic breakfast. Pancakes would do well enough. Dance may have been half asleep, but he still managed not to burn more than one or two of them. He just put them on his own plate, and left the good ones on the table across from him.
He ate his pancakes tiredly. Then, as he waited for Red to finish in the shower, he put his head down on his arms, and closed his eyes.
He fell back asleep like that, his empty plate pushed to the side and a plate with pancakes set where Red usually seemed to eat.
----
When he got out of the shower, dried, and dressed, he felt a little more like a living person and a little less like something someone scraped off the bottom of a dumpster. He wore a turtleneck today. All the better to pretend that mark didn't exist.
He stopped short when he came out of the shower, smelling what appeared to be... Pancakes? He peeked into the kitchen and lo and behold, there sat a plate of pancakes. In front of his chair. Across from a sleeping Dance who'd obviously already eaten his share.
... What the fuck?
Dance didn't cook! And certainly not for Red! Maybe they were poisoned. Cleaning up his mess, so to speak. Dance didn't have a spec of LV in him, but that didn't mean shit. Had to start somewhere, right?
He backed up a step, then turned and went back to his room. He grabbed his coat and shoes then just short cut right the fuck out of there, leaving the breakfast untouched on the table. Maybe it wasn't poisoned, but then that just made it fucking weird and Red had no idea what it could mean.
He popped up in his brother's apartment where he flopped himself down on the couch and flipped on the TV. Boss had work today and wouldn't be home till late. Which meant Red could chill there while he waited out his hangover.
He could also avoid Dance and all of his problems for a little longer. Which was fantastic.
----
When he woke up something around an hour later, Dance had to push down the hurt he felt seeing the pancakes untouched. Red wasn’t in the house. Maybe he missed seeing the pancakes?
He pulled the pancakes towards him, and ate them angrily. Dumped both plates in the sink, and just left them there. He checked in the fridge, and lo and behold, both plates were still there. He slammed the door to the fridge shut with far more force than he should have. A roll of paper towels fell from the top, giving him a firm bonk to the head.
With a frustrated shout, Dance went back to his room. He curled up on the bed, hugging a pillow close.
How was he supposed to try and make up for his screw up if Red just ignored his attempts?
Dance couldn’t keep pouting forever, though. He got up, grabbing the last few resumes he hadn’t passed out yet. He’d have to go back to work tomorrow, so he needed to get this over with.
When he got back home, he scribbled another point onto the list he still had in his pocket.
Give him time. It’s okay if he won’t eat the food I make as peace offerings. He’s allowed to be pissed off at me. I deserve it.
He didn’t think about it when he left his jacket on the couch when he went to go cook. He didn’t notice that the piece of paper was sticking out of the pocket.
----
He spent most of the day on his brother's couch, napping or watching tv. Not a bad way to spend the day, in his opinion. When he started to get hungry, he shortcutted across town to Grillby's.
A burger and several drinks later, he was pleasantly buzzed and cut off again. Rather than hopping around town like yesterday, though, he decided to call it a night and just go home. It was already late. Dance was probably in bed... Probably...
He popped through his shortcut into the alley outside his building, stumbling a few steps into one of the walls. His gait was unsteady as he made his way to his own apartment and let himself in.
The living room was dark. A level of anxiety left him. He tried to be quiet as he picked his way across the room, but he still ended up running into a few things. In the end he still made it to his room. He flopped over on his bed, not bothering to take off his blanket or shoes, and was asleep within minutes.
----
When Dance woke back up, he could feel that Red was in his room. He got to his feet, turning off his alarm.
He’d try one more time to cook. He spent a lot of time making what he hoped would be a good breakfast. It was clear that Red was avoiding him, so he ate his own food quickly and put plastic wrap over the second portion. He wrote Red’s name on the wrap so there was no confusion as to who it was for.
Then, he grabbed his hoodie, not noticing the piece of paper falling out of the pocket to land on the couch. He ported out to work.
He couldn’t help but hope that Red at least accepted the food.
----
He woke up to the familiar throb of a hangover and went through the motions of taking some pain killers. Then he laid in bed for another half an hour to let them kick in. Mostly because he could. But also because that gave him plenty of time to listen to the rest of the apartment and determine if Dance was still there or not.
He really should start looking for a new place to live... He couldn't keep going like this...
When he was completely sure that the apartment was empty, he dragged himself out of bed. His clothes had settled weird in his sleep. It was uncomfortable. So he pulled his coat off and spent some time righting his clothes on the way out of his room.
He made a direct line to the fridge where he reached in for one of his bottles of mustard. He almost didn't notice his name clearly written on a plate of food.
He was caught off guard again. Dance had... Made him more food? Was this some kind of alpha thing that he didn't know about? Red had been under the impression that Dance was about as lazy as he was, so the fact that he was actually putting effort into cooking was... kind of alarming actually...
He wasn't sure how long he stared at the plate, tracing the letters of his name on the plastic, before he shut the fridge. He didn't grab his mustard either.
He wasn't sure what was going on. Didn't Dance want to get away from him now? He should, right? He'd accidentally marked a guy he hated, of course he would want to sweep that under a rug and run, right? Or was that just what Red would do?
He went to the living room, plopping down on the couch and rubbing a hand over his sockets. Had he... Read something wrong?
Unbidden, he recalled the things Dance had said to him during their heat. That he was such a good beta. That he wasn't as boring as everyone else... That he was beautiful... How much of that had been in the heat of the moment? How much had been... Dance's honest opinion? He couldn't have actually meant it, right?
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something out of the ordinary sticking out from between the couch cushions. Curiously, he snatched it up. It was a paper. Unfolding it, he scanned his eyes over it.
Three things jumped out at him. The first was like a punch to the gut. He had to read it a few more times before it sank in.
Dance called them mates. He thought of Red as his mate. Holy shit, he was actually taking this seriously. That had been so far away from what Red had expected, it was honestly throwing him quite a bit.
Dance thought they were mates....
And Dance also thought Red hated him...
He supposed he had every right to hate Dance. Now at least. But he found that he really didn't have it in himself to.
He admired Dance. The guy was gorgeous, they way he moved looking like poetry in motion and the dark color of his magic reminding Red of the night sky. And Dance was smart. Spending even two minutes in the guy's presence would be enough for anyone to know that. And sometimes Dance could be funny, rattling off puns and sarcastic remarks that Red would smirk at even just the memory of.
The only problem was that every time Dance looked at him, Red could fucking feel his distaste, his disapproval.. His hate... Or so he'd thought...
But Dance had marked him. And he wasn't fighting it. He was trying to make it work...
The second thing he noticed was that fucking line about alphas being providers. What the shit?! Red wasn't some shitty little omega bitch that needed to be taken care of! Was that was the food thing was about? Dance was trying to take care of him?!
That rankled. Dance wanting to make this work was, admittedly, pretty good. But if this was the way he planned to go about it then they were going to have some serious words and Red wasn't sure he wouldn't shout half of them.
That last line though... Red sighed. The idiot.
He supposed if Dance was taking all these steps, Red could at least take a step or two of his own. He'd start by eating the food Dance made so the guy would stop pouting like a little baby.
----
When Dance’s shift was over, he wanted nothing more than to curl up with a good book. Instead of going to the library, though, he went back to check up on those jobs he was hoping for. He was glad for it, too. When he stopped by the post office, he was given an interview then and there.
He’d know if he got the job by the end of the week.
It was late enough by the time he got done that he decided to reward himself with some food from Grillby’s. He got two burgers, and had one slathered with ketchup and the other with mustard like he knew Red liked.
Goods in hand, he took a quick shortcut home.
----
Red psyched himself up for a few hours to talk to Dance. To actually talk to the guy and figure out where they stood. Dance had been trying all this time. Red had been being real shitty about the whole thing.
It took him a while to realize Dance was probably at work... And that meant he probably wouldn't be home before Red had to leave for his shift at the bar...
He growled at himself. This whole mess was making him lose track of time and sense. He needed to get his head screwed back on straight. Not that he'd ever been a particularly level thinker, but this situation seemed like it called for a little extra care.
He'd polished off the rest of the leftovers in the fridge (leaving the dishes in the sink because he was trying hard enough, dammit, he wasn't about to start washing dishes too.) and then gotten ready for work. The bar was always warm and stuffy. He preferred to wear a t-shirt, but with his new little tattoo... He went for another turtleneck.
Just before he left, he grabbed that fucking list and pinned it to the fridge under a magnet. He added a note on top of it.
'We need to talk'
Then he blipped out of the house.
He wouldn't be home till around midnight. He didn't expect Dance to be waiting up for him, so he had an entire shift to mentally prepare himself for tomorrow.
----
It was only after he got home that Dance thought to check where Red was. He stared at the mustard burger for a long while when he realized he’d bought dinner for someone who was already at work.
Damn it.
Burgers taste like shit when put in the fridge and heated up later. Thus, Dance actually forced himself to sit down and eat the mustard burger as punishment for being stupid. Only after that did he eat his own burger.
With far more nerves than he had any right to have, Dance went to check and see if Red ate the breakfast Dance left out for him. Then he saw the note on the fridge. He frantically pat his pockets, as if that would help anything.
Well, at least it would finally get Red to stop avoiding him? Right?
Dance intended to wait up for Red, he really did. Work and that interview really wore him out, though. He ended up asleep on the couch, in a position his body would be screaming at him for later.
----
His choice of clothing got a raised brow from Chillby, but otherwise his night was unremarkable. He bused tables, did a little waiter work, threw one guy out on his ass when he started making trouble... The usual. Thinking about that inevitable talk with Dance, though, that was what wore him out. By the time he got home he was ready to just fall over.
As soon as he walked in, though, his eyes went immediately to the form on the couch. He stiffened at first, thinking Dance had actually waited up for him, but then he took in the position the other was in and...
"Pffheheh.." He couldn't help the short laugh. Dance was sprawled out over the arm of the couch, back bent at an extremely awkward angle that would no doubt hurt like a bitch later. His head was thrown back, a little snore echoing through his slightly parted teeth and a line of drool trailing over his skull to drip on the floor.
It looked like the guy had attempted to wait up and just hadn't been able to manage it.
"Dumb bastard." Red muttered, but there was a smile on his face. It was just too amusing. (And yeah. It was a little cute.)
He shut the door behind him, automatically flipping the lock, then walked over to Dance where he reached to shake the guy's shoulder. "Dance. Hey, ya need ta get yer ass ta bed."
Dance didn't wake. Red huffed out a little sigh. Seemed Dance was dead to the world. Well, he couldn't just leave him to sleep like this. That would be borderline cruelty.
It took more physical exertion than he was used to putting out, but somehow Red managed to pick Dance up. It was a damn good thing they were skeletons, otherwise picking up someone who was the same size as he was would have been a hell of a lot harder. As it was it was awkward.
He stumbled his way to Dance's room, then gently laid him out on his bed. Then he pulled up the blankets to cover him.
"Yer a real pain in my ass, ya know that?" Dance, predictably, didn't respond.
Red made his way back to his own room and climbed into bed. He'd probably have to get up a bit early to catch Dance before work. He wasn't really looking forward to it, but... Maybe it wouldn't be so bad? Who knows. He'd been pretty wrong about a few things so far. he had no idea how that conversation was going to go. Somehow, that was a little scarier than the thought it might go wrong...
----
Dance was a little confused when he woke up in his bed. He’d been trying to stay up so he could talk with Red.
... Had Red put him in bed?
He could think about that later. He needed to get ready, cook breakfast, and get to work. He’d slept through the alarm he’d set to be a few minutes early, so if he wanted to cook, he needed to hurry through everything.
After one very short shower (thank the stars for being a skeleton.) he started cooking. He couldn’t go all out again, so he just made french toast. Since Red had eaten the last offering, Dance made enough for two again. He scarfed down his food quickly.
He had to get to work. He scribbled down a quick note, putting it on the second plate of food.
I’ll get home as soon as my shift is over so we can talk.
----
When Red drifted awake, he had a niggling feeling in his chest that he'd slept longer than he should have. He blearily reached for his phone to check the time. It was still a while before he needed to be to work so why...? Oh well. If he couldn't remember then how important could it be?
He let his phone fall to the mattress and rolled over, pulling his blanket up to block the daylight from his window. If it was anything really important then someone would have woken him up. Like Boss or Dance or...
His eyes shot open. Dance! He was supposed to get up early enough to talk to Dance!
He shot out of bed, thankful for once that he was too lazy to get undressed before he'd fallen asleep, and ran to his door, throwing it open to run out into the living room.
The empty living room... From which he could see the also very empty kitchen.
He sighed, running his hands over his face. Figured, the first time he actually wanted to see Dance since this whole mess started, and he'd missed him. He went over to the couch and sat down, face in his hands. Even when he tried he fucked shit up. Maybe he should just go back to bed...
He didn't want to get back up and go all the way back to his room, so he just flopped over on the couch, feet still hanging towards the floor and face pressed against the cushions. Laying there, though, was bringing back memories of that night. When Dance had pushed him to his back, leaned over him, and said all that dumb fucking shit... When he'd made Red feel so damn amazing...
His face warmed. He wasn't going to be able to get to sleep.
Getting up, he decided to at least get something to eat. When he opened the fridge, he was met with yet another plate of food. Part of him had almost expected it, and while it still irked him to know Dance was trying to take care of him like this, another part was warmed at the thought that Dance cared that much. It wasn't fine dining by a long shot, but the thought that went into it made up for that.
He read the note, anxiety curling in his gut at having to put this talk off even longer. At this point he just wanted to get it over with.
His nerves made it difficult to eat, but he managed. Then he went back to the couch and flipped on the tv. He'd be right there when Dance got home.
----
Despite having a shorter shift, Dance was still exhausted by the time he was done. He blamed the customer who made him run from end of the store to end of the store because they were too lazy to look for things and instead had him take them to each and every thing on their shopping list.
He wasn’t looking forward to this talk with Red. He hated thinking about the future, mostly because he could never be sure if there would even
be
a future. He couldn’t let that mindset make him ignore Red, though.
The reminder that Dance wasn’t an asshole alpha no longer was true, so he just... well. He needed to make up for his mistake.
With a small bit of psyching himself up, Dance took a shortcut. He stepped inside the house, looking tired. “Hey.”
----
He was hardly able to pay attention to the tv. He should be thinking about what he wanted to say when Dance got home. Thinking about how to get his thoughts and opinions across without yelling or being an asshole..
But he just kept thinking about that night...
When Dance finally walked in, Red's face immediately colored. He sat up straighter, trying to will his blush away.
"H-hey..." Fuck! Why was he stuttering?! They hadn't even started talking yet and he was already a mess! Fuck!!
----
Dance decided not to bring up Red’s blush, or his stutter. Even if it was a little cute. That meant it was straight to business. “I would ask what you wanted to talk about, but I think it’s pretty clear.”
Dance went over to the couch, sitting down next to Red with a poised grace. He spoke with a stiffness to try and keep his nerves from showing too much. “I apologize once again for marking you. Whatever you wish from me as apology, I will do my best to fulfill.”
----
An apology. Of course the asshole would start with a fuckin apology. Red grit his teeth, trying to bite back his irritation. They wouldn't get anywhere if he just started yelling and growling.
It was good that he was sorry. But that wasn't what Red wanted to hear... He didn't want to hear how much Dance regretted it. He didn't want to hear about how it was such a
big fucking mistake!
Was Dance even a little bit happy to have marked Red?...
Of course not... What was he even thinking...
"Ya don't gotta do shit. Whatever kinda obligation yer feelin, ya can shove it up yer ass." And despite his best efforts, a growl laced those words. His tail flicked against the couch in a show of irritation, his arms crossing over his chest. "Markin me didn't suddenly make me yer responsibility. I can take care a' myself. So if that list ya made.. These steps yer takin? If it's outta some sense of guilt or responsibility or whatever then fuck the list and fuck you too!"
----
Dance’s response was immediate. “If I didn’t like you, I would not have marked you, even on our heats. I do care about you, Red.”
Why had he said that so quickly? Now Red knew. He hated Dance, and now knew that Dance didn’t hate him...
----
That just sorta took the wind right out of Red's sails. He stared at Dance in shock, trying to comprehend what he'd heard. That couldn't be right. Not when there were so many things pointing to the opposite conclusions.
Dance hated Red. The only reason he was acting nice was because he felt bad for being a dick of an alpha and marking someone on accident. He didn't... Care about Red...
"Yer lyin..." He said after a moment. "Ya don't gotta fuckin baby me. i know ya fuckin hate me. Dunno why we've even put up with each other this long... Never shoulda damn well moved in here..."
It hurt... It hurt to have Dance try to lie to him like this, to coddle him like this, when he knew god damn good n well that Dance couldn't stand him. he was starting to shake, an embarrassing sting of tears present at the edges of his sockets. He hated that Dance could make him feel like this. He hated that he didn't hate Dance back.
----
“Sure, you annoy the fuck out of me sometimes, but I don’t hate you. Do I have to show you just how much I mean my words?” Dance gave Red a strong, meaningful look.
He respected Red. Instead of letting people roll over him, Red fought every inch of the way. He had a fighting spirit that was something to be admired.
----
Red's eyes narrowed. He was bluffing. he had to be. He just couldn't comprehend a world in which Dance didn't actually hate him.
But... If there was a chance...
He glared at Dance defiantly, challengingly. "The fuck ya gonna do?"
----
That fight was exactly what Dance liked about Red. They were still sitting fairly close, so Dance pulled Red even closer. “This.”
He pressed a kiss to Red’s teeth. He licked at them, demanding to be let in. It would probably be better suited to prove Dance’s point if he took the kiss slow and gentle... but he didn’t care. He just pushed for control, as if to force Red to submit and accept the feelings attached.
----
He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but when Dance surged forward and pressed their teeth together, it took him by surprise. He gasped, teeth parting and unwittingly letting dance in. The alpha immediately took control, dominating the kiss before Red even had the thought to fight back. He reached with both hands to grasp at Dance's jacket, claws digging into the material.
He made a noise, somewhere between a moan and a whimper, his soul pounding hard and his magic rushing to his face. he didn't know what the hell was happening, but his body was happy to respond in the manner it thought most fitting. Which was to press back, eliminating any distance between the two of them.
----
Dance wrapped his arms around Red, holding him close. After a long moment, and when he felt Red was cowed enough, he broke the kiss. He didn’t let Red go, though. “I care about you. I don’t want my fuckup to ruin my chances of having something more than just a roommate with you.”
----
Dance was everywhere at once, devouring him... And he loved it. No one had ever exerted this much power over him before. No one had ever been able to. But Dance just swept in and crumbled his defenses in no time flat.
But more than all that, he could tell Dance was enjoying himself too. No one kissed a person they hated like that. As if Dance wanted to take him and keep him and never let him get away.
When Dance pulled back, red was panting, face flushed and eye lights hazed.
"Th-then ya-... Did ya want-... I mean... Are ya ok with-..." Damn, he hated being this unsure of himself. "Ya don't.. Regret markin
me?"
----
“I only regret it because I didn’t give you the choice. I’d much rather have done this when we were in a relationship, and you agreed to it. If there’s anyone I would commit to, it would be you. I really like your spunk.” Dance gave Red a rueful smile. “I love being the person that can challenge that.”
“With anyone else, I would regret this a lot more. It’s not anyone else though. So while I fucked up, at least I managed to do so with someone I care about.”
Dance was being more straightforward than he ever was. He wasn’t dodging the topic, he was genuinely doing his best to make sure this worked out well in the end.
----
And there was that sting of tears again. Dance liked him. Cared about him. Wanted him. He didn't regret marking him, just the circumstances under which it happened.
His soul swelled with joy and affection. This had every chance of working! They could actually work this out! Dance didn't hate him! (And that was taking some effort to digest, but damn if it wasn't worth that effort.)
"I uh... I like you too." Eloquent. Absolute poetry. He winced. "I suck at this emotional bullshit. Can we just kiss some more?"
----
Dance chuckled at that a little. “I aim to please.”
Somehow, Red didn’t hate him. Instead, he actually
liked
him. That knowledge was enough to put a fair deal of passion into the kiss.
Red didn’t hate him. There was still hope that they could get this to work out.
----
Red was expecting it this second time around, so he was able to push back a little more than the first time. He was overjoyed, sure, but that didn't mean he was going to make it easy for Dance to get his way all the time. So he hummed into the kiss, pressed his tongue hard against dance's and nipped whenever he lost some ground. He used his grip on Dance's jacket to tug him closer, practically climbing into Dance's lap in his enthusiasm.
----
How cute, Red thought he could control this kiss. Dance wrapped his arms around Red, pulling him flush with his body. He gave Red’s tail a few small tugs as he pushed against Red’s attempts to control.
Dance was the alpha here, and he’d make sure Red remembered that.
----
Dance tugged on his tail and what little resistance he'd managed to put up fell away with a gasp. He growled a little but opened himself up to be taken.
This was still a marginally new experience for him, giving up control like this. But it felt good. It felt amazing to just let Dance lead. Liberating to not have to worry about things for once. He could just fall back and let his alpha take control.
----
Dance felt the strong urge to ‘take care of’ his beta. Red would have to go to work soon, though, so he’d have to refrain...
He pulled back, giving Red a hungry look. “See, this is what I was talking about. I love seeing you like this, and knowing I’m the one who you’ll submit to.”
----
Red made a little noise of protest when Dance pulled back, nipping at the retreating tongue. Then he glowered at those words, his face burning. Sure, he was willing to submit (to Dance at least) but that didn't mean they had to fucking talk about it and bring attention to it like that.
"Don't get cocky. I just ain't in the mood ta fight is all..." His soul was still fluttering in his chest too, adoring the compliments that Dance was throwing at him. It even had his tail swaying happily behind him. He hoped Dance was too focused on the rest of him to notice that little detail...
----
When Red’s tail bumped the hand still resting near it, Red’s cover was blown. He was happy about something. Dance was quickly picking up on his weaknesses. “Even still, I feel honored that you aren’t fighting
me
of all people.”
If compliments made Red happy, then he’d bathe in them. Of course, Dance wouldn’t lie. However, he was sure he could still come up with plenty of genuine things to say. As much as Red annoyed him sometimes... Dance still respected him greatly.
----
Red's soul only fluttered more. He wished it would stop. It was making him feel all weird n shit. Growling, he snapped his teeth at Dance.
"How bout ya shut it before I change my mind, huh?" God damn asshole. Just last week the only things Dance would have said to him would have tried to cut him open. The dramatic change was doing just as much to fluster him as the words themselves. It was new and unusual and strange. Nice too, but still...
----
Dance chuckled, but obliged and kissed Red again instead of saying anything. Red was a little like a cat that liked belly rubs... but only some of the time. Dance could take the warning and back off before his hand got clawed up.
Besides, the kissing was good. Even more so when he pushed until Red submitted.
----
Red happily went back to kissing, his raised hackles easily smoothed by the compliance with his demand. He figured he could probably kiss Dance all day, with as nice as it felt. It was a bit fun too, pushing back every so often just to get Dance to indignantly up his game to regain control. It would be interesting to find out how far he could push before being shoved back down.
They were interrupted by his phone going off, playing a short, jarring noise to get his attention. Red pulled away from the kiss, breathing a little hard, and dug into his pocket to pull the little device out and check the time.
"Shit." He'd set his alarm, like he always did, to remind him he needed to get going to work. It was usually to wake him up if he ended up taking an impromptu nap, but he supposed it worked for this too.
"I uh... I gotta go..." The regret was heavy in his voice. He wished he could just call off work, but aside from heats or something serious, monsters didn't tend to get sick, so...
----
Dance just hugged Red, and placed a kiss to his brow. “Alright.”
It sucked that their work hours were so different. Before, it had been great because it kept the two of them apart. Now though, that would just be annoying.
“You’re welcome ta sleep with me when ya get home. If that’s something you want.” Really, it was something Dance wanted. He wasn’t going to say that out loud, though. Besides, he wasn’t sure how much the mating mark would influence Red. Best to avoid saying anything that could end up forcing Red to do something he wouldn’t normally do.
----
Red raised a brow at the offer, but his teeth curled into a fond little smirk. "Heh. A'right." He agreed, leaning in to click a short kiss against Dance's teeth. Then he gently extricated himself from Dance's hold so he could go to his room and get his coat and shoes.
Just before he left out the front door, he cast a bit of a shy, awkward look at Dance. "I uh... I'll see ya t'morrow. Maybe leave somethin in the fridge fer me t'night?"
Dance had been cooking for him an awful lot lately, and it made him feel greedy to ask, but he also figured that might just be something Dance was doing to feel better. To sate his alpha need to take care of his submissive. Red would probably have to read up on this shit, never having expected in a million years that he would end up marked, but the little extra effort would be worth it. Dance was worth it.
----
Dance gave an exaggerated little bow. “I aim to please.”
As sarcastic as he was being, Dance was happy that Red had asked. That he actually liked what Dance made for him. Sure, cooking was usually what the submissive did, as the alpha brought home the food to
be
cooked. Even still, Dance would be happy to do it. To know that his mate got something out of the arrangement.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Red.” Dance saw his mate off with a soft smile, a smile that almost felt out of place on his face.
----
Red gave a stiff little nod, his face feeling warm once more, then let himself out. He took a shortcut once he was able and was at Chillby's bar in the next moment.
The night was as unremarkable as it usually was. Though he was in a markedly better mood than usual and Chillby (as well as a few of the regulars) seemed to catch on to that. He told them to fuck off and mind their own business. Most of them were deterred by that, but Red still caught Chillby throwing him sly little looks every so often. Fuckin dick.
----
Dance went to the kitchen with a small smile on his face. He decided to go all out, and make some good food, since Red
had
asked for him to cook this time. He even suffered through a quick shopping trip to grab everything he needed.
He put everything up, planning to cook it later so it would still be a little bit fresh when Red got home. He set an alarm for nine, and went to go read his book in the meantime.
It took him about half an hour to get everything cooked, and he spent another half hour eating his share. It was good... ish. Hopefully Red would enjoy it. He left it in the oven with it turned as low as possible (it was a surprisingly good oven, so it was only at 150f. Perfect temp to keep things warm. He left a note to tell Red where it was and to ask him to turn off the oven, and went to bed.
He’d be exhausted in the morning, but it was worth it.
----
Red got home at midnight, like usual. What wasn't usual was the smell that permeated the house when he walked in. He looked around, expecting Dance to still be up cooking, given the smell, but he didn't find anyone. Heading for the kitchen, he found the note.
Dance had... Not only cooked... But also made sure it stayed warm long enough for Red to enjoy it? His soul gave a little lurch at the sheer sweetness of the gesture. Sure he'd asked for food, but he'd just expected to have to heat up leftovers again. But Dance had really gone an extra step here. For Red of all people...
If he'd still had any doubts about how much Dance meant what he'd said before, they were gone now. You didn't go this far for someone you were just trying to placate or pretend to like.
He switched the oven off and pulled out his food. It smelled amazing. Certainly better than anything he would have been able to make. Again, it wasn't exactly gourmet, but the feeling and care that went into it... That made it better than just about anything. (Save for maybe mustard.)
Once he was done eating he went as far as to rinse the dishes before heading to bed. He paused on the way to his room, remembering at the last moment that Dance had invited him to sleep with him tonight.
Well, he'd said he would, hadn't he.
He carefully opened the door, peeking in to find Dance asleep in his bed. he knew Dance slept like the dead. He didn't have to be quiet. But still, he took a little extra care padding across the room. He slid off his coat, set his phone on the little table near the bed, and stepped out of his shoes.
Then he almost shyly crawled into bed, pulling at the blankets until he could be under them with Dance. He only hesitated for a moment more before snuggling up to Dance, wrapping his arms around the other's waist. He breathed out a happy little sigh, quickly getting comfortable.
"G'night Sweetheart." he hummed, then let himself drift off.